In honour of our When Poppy Met Daisy's Corsetry class todays blog focuses on the supremely feminine and rather bizarre invention. A long long time ago corsets were used as instruments to narrow a ladies waist and reshape her figure, thankfully in today's society we have a things like exercise and diet to do that for us so in today's fashion world the corset is simply an elegant fashion accessory. Granted there are still some hardcore corset wearing women around the world determine to the structure to mold an itty bitty waist but for the most part corested garments are designed to be worn for a short period of time and to give the illusion of a smaller shape.

Dita Von Teese is a modern day pioneer of the the corset and wears it with attitude.The corset is a big fixture is Dita's burlesque performances and she is rarely pictured in anything else. However Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna have also sported some very ornate examples of the corset. Rihanna goes all out in the mad max-esque embellished corset trimmed with chains and spikes galore. A corset top is a dressy statement and generally worn with a simple skirt or trousers. These tops are not for shrinking violets or wall flowers as they designed to maximize the bust and draw attention.

The art of corsetry dates back as far as the 16th century with the idea being to shape a woman's body into a cone like figure. 'Bones' made of various materials such as whalebone, steel, ivory or nylon are inserted into the garment. The bones give the corset its rigid and structured form and this boning process if often used in evening gowns and dresses to make sure a strapless style stays in places and supports the bust. A boned bodice in a dress may make it a little more difficult to breathe but it certainly holds everything in and makes for a gorgeous silhouette a trade off I'd be willing to take every time.

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I have been a student at the When Poppy Met Daisy's for 6 months , Lorna's style of giving individual attention rather than teaching in a class room setting is brilliant. After only a few classes I couldn’t believe how much I learned. I never thought that I’d be making my own dresses so quickly! It’s very rewarding and addictive, I’m always thinking of new ideas for what I can make next, plus it's so much fun!